A Step-by-Step Guide to Workplace Stress Risk Assessments

What Is a Stress Risk Assessment?

Most of us have been stressed at some point in our careers. But did you know, stress was one of the most common reasons for workplace absenteeism in 2024/25? To reduce the likelihood and impact of workplace stress, employers can carry out stress risk assessments. These are written documents that outline potential stress risk factors in the workplace and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them. 

You can create stress risk assessments for both teams and individual employees. For example, you might create a stress risk assessment for your whole company, but also do an individual risk assessment for an employee who’s going through a tough time or facing a cause of stress that isn’t covered by your main risk assessment. 

Is Stress Management a Legal Requirement for Employers?

If you’re an employer, you aren’t legally required to use a specific document or technique for stress risk assessments, but you still have a legal obligation to manage stress at work. According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers need to clearly demonstrate the steps they’ve taken to identify and reduce the risk of stress for staff. This can be presented in any format, but it has to be in writing for companies with 5 or more employees.

The Six Areas Every Stress Risk Assessment Should Cover

The UK Health and Safety Executive provide what they call a set of core “management standards” for businesses to adhere to. These are 6 elements of the workplace that should be managed effectively in order to prevent stress and absence. They are:

1. Demands: A person’s workload, shift patterns, and how physically demanding the environment is
2. Control: The degree to which someone has control or “a say” in how they work
3. Support: How much a person is supported in terms of encouragement, sponsorship, and access to necessary resources
4. Relationships: The types of relationships promoted by the company, e.g. fostering healthy connections to ensure staff feel comfortable and respected by others 
5. Role: The degree to which staff understand their roles, and an assurance that roles aren’t conflicted
6. Change: How the company handles change and communicates this with staff

If you’re planning to create your own stress risk assessment, think about each of the above. How could they potentially lead to stress if not properly managed? You may find it helpful to jot down your thoughts. 

How to Complete a Stress Risk Assessment Step by Step

HSE have a generic risk assessment template that you can use to explore stress risk in your workplace. But if you’d prefer to create your own, you can follow these simple steps, keeping in mind the management standards we mentioned above:

1. Create a questionnaire asking your team to rank each of HSE’s management standards categories (demands, control, support, relationships, role, change) in relation to your workplace. Include each standard next to a scale that allows staff to rate satisfaction levels for each. Encourage staff to add additional notes or comments to elaborate.
2. Review the responses and highlight any areas that flag potential risk. 
3. Once you’ve identified risks, note them down in a spreadsheet or doc and add some practical steps you can take to reduce them. For example, if multiple members of staff have reported dissatisfaction with the level of control they have, consider what might help to increase that control. Could you arrange weekly discussion meetings with the team? Perhaps you could agree to create more feedback forms to give your staff a say? 
4. After noting down risks and solutions, add a “next review” date to your document (ideally in a few months’ time) so you can check back in on progress and tick off any successful changes. 
5. Finally, communicate your findings and share a summary of the assessment results with your team. Be transparent about the high-risk areas identified so they know they were listened to.

Remember to check your stress risk assessment regularly to ensure you’re making progress.

Why Neurodivergent Employees Might Need Extra Consideration

In 2022, 70% of employees with neurodivergence were struggling with mental health issues. We know that neurodivergent employees are more susceptible to stress. This makes it all the more important to ensure your workplace is safe and free from risk. 

Many neurodivergent staff believe they need to mask their behaviours at work, which can lead to issues like autistic burnout and emotional lability. Rather than bluntly confronting the issue and making employees feel uncomfortable, think about some different ways to create psychological safety. Could you reduce the pressure for staff to lead client meetings or loosen rules around communication etiquette?

Depending on their roles, staff with neurodivergence may also have more difficulty completing work due to things like planning issues, sensory difficulties, or inability to focus. To support them, why not explore workplace adjustments? You might consider options like assistive technology to reduce administrative overload or look into flexitime arrangements that support a healthier work-life balance.

Have a team with multiple neurodivergent employees? You may find it better to carry out risk assessments for each person. That way, you can address diverse needs and take a fairer approach that benefits everyone.

FAQs

What’s the difference between a stress risk assessment and a general risk assessment?

A general risk assessment covers physical hazards in the workplace (equipment, environment, processes), while a stress risk assessment focuses specifically on psychological hazards. These are things like workload, control, relationships, and other factors that can cause work-related stress.

Who is responsible for carrying out a stress risk assessment?

Employers are legally responsible, though in practice this is usually delegated to HR, line managers, or health and safety officers, often with input from staff themselves.

How often should a stress risk assessment be reviewed?

There’s no fixed legal timeframe, but reviewing every few months (or whenever a “next review” date is set) is good practice, and assessments should also be revisited after major changes such as restructuring or a significant rise in absence.